Bell+Howell Solar Animal Repeller Motion Activated Animal Repellent, Rat, Squirrel, Deer, Raccoon, Skunk, Rabbit, Mole, Dog, Cat, Waterproof Motion Activated SolarAnimal Repeller

MINUS 0NE STAR if "both"; ZERO STARS if fraudulent; ONE STAR if defective. There are a lot of negatives about this intrusive animal deterrent. Where shall I start? First off, this is not a BELL&Howell product: B&H sold the use of their name, as they have done with numerous other products, apparently without retaining any quality control. The "manufacturer" is elusive at worst and difficult to reach at best, somewhere tucked away in the New York area without a Toll-free number and a regular toll number found only after extensive research (which they habitually do not answer per lots of complaints on the net).THE PRODUCT ITSELF? Everything seems to work up to the DETERRENT part: batteries, red detection LED, ground stake (I did not test the solar array). Initial problem (and the one that sent me researching auditory ranges of animals) is that the unit offers no way of verifying that a high frequency noise is even being emitted. I found several university-based research reports on the auditory capabilities of common wild and domestic animals, most of which have hearing ranges in the ultra sonic spectrum; exceptions include elephants and DEER. Deer auditory ranges overlap with that of humans and max out below the top of the human sensitivities (around 18k hertz) and are centered around 6k hertz). So, if deer can hear it, so can we. I heard nothing coming from the unit's voicebox; and neither did the local domestic animals (3 dogs and 4 cats): NO REACTION WHATSOEVER and certainly no hint that whatever was emitted from this green box reached STARTLING or DETERRENT levels. I mention deer specifically because the listing on Amazon (and other mail order sources) includes deer, the box lists deer, and deer are my particular problem animal. BUT as far as I can tell from this one unit, most of the animals listed would not be deterred by this unit because there was nothing being emitted that would warrant their slightest attention or curiosity much less revulsion. Would even a functioning unit send out a strong enough signal to STARTLE? And for how many encounters would the unit elicit a startling effect before the intruders became habituated to (or de-constructed) the little green box? I like the idea behind this product but several additional features (besides an actual fear inducing noise generator) would make it more functional: 1) a frequency dial for the user to choose a frequency range more closely matching the local varmits and 2) a volume control to match the target animals and the environment in which the unit is deployed and 3) a selectable menu of noise patterns (continuous, bursts, both). And at a reasonable price ($25 sounds about right).THANKS TO AMAZON for their RETURN & FULL REFUND policy: saved the day (but not my vegetation). I had a grand plan to order 3 or 4 more of these units (and at one point even thought about keeping the one unit and just not ordering the rest) but after not being able to confirm that it had even a slight chance of slowing down the parade of deer (or the occasional raccoons & neighbor's pets) through my yard (the dog/cat test) I decided to send this single unit back and nix the whole grand scheme.SUMMMAY: Too many IFs and ???s and one known dealbreaker: ultrasonic noisemakers do not work on DEER (or elephants); would work on other common animals whether intruding OR not; sonic ones would disturb you (and your human and non-human neighbors). A minor (but disappointing) series of CATCH 22s at best.

didn't work

The reviews for this item were not altogether encouraging, but we were tired of the damage deer and other animals were doing to our garden, and decided to give them a try. The disadvantage in using these is there is no way to verify their operation, except for results. After several weeks, there is no sign that any animal has been in the garden. One way to check for proper operation is to place the unit against something, like a post or the side of a building. Stand very still in front of it and the red light will go out. Slightly move your head and the light comes on. If not something is wrong. I called the customer assistance number in the package, and the person I spoke to was vague on how the thing should operate, and gave me some misinformation. So I decided to ignore them and figure it out for myself.I finally ordered two more for use when the crops grow high enough th shield the unit from movement nearby. I plan to use them facing away from the garden to catch movement of approaching animals. Just to be on the safe side, I installed my electric fence as a backup system. They aren't all that effective with determined animals on the loose.I'm just about sure these things will do the job. I hope this will help you.Added note: Over the growing season we realized that there were no animals anywhere near the garden. The day I put them in winter storage, the deer were out there eating the tomato plants. I discovered that my hearing aid picks up the high frequency sound in some way. It sounds like a faint screech. So if you wear one, you can check the operation of these things for all your friends.

it does seem to work to repel racoons but it is finiky to use. i purchased three of them as a closeout. the first thing i found out is that they take a long time to charge the batteries. this may because the dates were old and after two weeks in the sun (only strong sun about 4 hours per day available) they were still only 1/2 charged. new batteries are not easy to find, even on line. second, one must position these at the height of the critters one is trying to dissuade. pointing these downward doesn't seem to work as well as straight at the animals. i used mine to cover a half circle and they overlap and are about 15 feet from the focal point. so far i'd say they are about 80% effective. but as a point of reference i have tried all the various on line ideas including ammonia, cayanne pepper, bleach, coyote pee and various combinations of these. one thing that is quite effective is shaved irish spring soap. really! they seem to hate the smell of this stuff. irish spring with the sonic gizmos increases my deterrence rate to nearly 100%.

Since we got this repeller there have not been any cats in the garden. Previously we had one which used the flower pots as a toilet and ruined the plants, so we are very pleased with this.

Really hoped it would do the trick but it hasn't the squirrel is still digging up the lawn

If I could give this product 10 stars I would do, its the best thing since sliced bread. Not seen a cat in my garden since I put it in, will definitely recommend this product in fact I am going to order another one for my front garden. Thank you.